


Seeds of Discord Pt. 1

by kbj1123



Series: Wonder Woman & Captain America [2]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, Wonder Woman - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Crossover Pairings, F/M, One True Pairing, Sexual Content, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-30
Updated: 2015-01-30
Packaged: 2018-03-09 17:39:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3258566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kbj1123/pseuds/kbj1123
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>So, by request, here comes the sequel to “Wonders Never Cease.”  Usual caveats: 1) I have no rights to these characters nor do I get an iota of payment for these stories 2) I’m writing for my amusement, though I’m not gonna lie—I love it that people are reading my work and feedback/encouragement is always welcome 3) I do not have in-depth knowledge of any of the Marvel or DC universes, and rely heavily on movies, superficial research, and other unrelated stuff I know about.  That means there will be lots of inconsistencies in character histories and worlds.  I’m open to being corrected, but please be kind about it (see caveat #2).</p><p>This is the beginning of a sequel to "Wonders Never Cease." Someone or something is causing violent riots to erupt all over the U.S., and whatever it is, it wreaks havoc with both Wonder Woman's health and Bruce Banner's ability to keep his rage in check.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Seeds of Discord Pt. 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Miggs](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Miggs/gifts).



It is the first Saturday of December, and Steve truly cannot remember ever being so happy this close to Christmas. Diana and he have been home from their honeymoon for about a week. A few blocks from their apartment is a renovated movie theater. There is a series this month; each week a different Christmas movie from 1930-1950. He wants Diana to see the kinds of things he’s been brought up on, maybe work towards creating their own holiday traditions. She’s for it. “Ritual is an important part of the spiritual well-being for the individual and society,” she told him. He figures that’s close enough. Tonight’s feature is “Beyond Tomorrow (And So Goodbye),” which he actually saw when it was released in 1940. They take their seats toward the back of the crowded theater, and life is good. Life is good for about an hour. Then they hear gunshots and terrified screams outside the theater. Diana rushes out the back of the theater and moments later, Wonder Woman is in the thick of things. Steve is close behind, in his civilian identity. 

It is an all-out riot. “Gangs are unheard of in this part of town,” Steve remarks. He and Wonder Woman spot a man with an assault rifle. Wonder Woman shoves Steve out of the way with one arm and deflects a round of ammunition with her other arm. She dives and tackles him. He doesn’t let go of the weapon. She manages to get a hand on each end and bends the whole thing into a useless piece of metal. 

Unfortunately, this young man isn’t the only armed person in the crowd, and she feels another stream of bullets fly past her head just as she hears Steve yell, “Behind you, Wonder Woman!” She whips around and grabs the barrel of another assault rifle, yanking it out of another young man’s hands. She slams it to the sidewalk and it cracks down the middle. 

As Wonder Woman deflects and disarms the shooters, Steve moves bystanders out of the way. He roundhouse kicks two more men as they aim into the crowd. The streets are narrow here. This area of town has been gentrified recently, and most of the streets, like this one, are of the one-way traffic variety, with wide sidewalks and streetlights meant to mimic gaslight. There isn’t much room for bystanders, and most of them don’t seem to want to leave. This puts Steve in the awkward position of having to push and grab people out of the way of flying bullets and fists, without hurting them in the process. 

The fact that it has been snowing and sleeting for the past forty-five minutes is not helping. Steve pushes a teenage girl out of the way of a fired gun, sending her sliding into the street toward an oncoming car. Wonder Woman jumps in front of the car and pushes all her weight into it as it fishtails on the slippery pavement, stopping the vehicle just a few inches away from the girl. The heavy-set middle-aged man behind the wheel swings his door open and hollers, “What the FUCKING HELL?” He slams the door and storms over to the car to inspect the grill. He makes a motion to kick the girl out of the way, but Wonder Woman intervenes. She firmly places her hand on his face and says “Stop. Get in the car, and stay there until this is all over.” He looks confused for a moment, and then complies with the command.

Steve’s efforts to save people from the violence and confusion have been only partially successful. Bystanders become angry with him for moving them, and with each other for…he can’t even really tell. Being in each other’s’ way? Fist fights begin. And then…nothing. The chaos dies down just before the police cars and paramedics show up. 

Wonder Woman talks with the authorities. Within fifteen minutes of the first gunshots, the entire street is quiet. Wonder Woman and Steve stand alone on the sidewalk. They stare out at the blood-streaked snow, saying nothing. They both wonder what just happened here; what might have happened had they not been in the right place at the right time. The broken glass and debris, the crime scene tape cordoning off the block are a stark contrast to the festive lights blinking over buildings. Wonder Woman shivers. Steve is just about to take her hand when they hear a young girl’s tentative voice. “Excuse me, are you Captain America?”

It is the teenager Steve had shoved out of the way during the gun fight. “Yeah. Hey, I’m really sorry about earlier.” She blushes and turns to Wonder Woman. “My name’s Nancy Tanner. I’m such a big fan of yours. She hands Steve her phone. “Would it be okay to get a picture? I mean, I know this is a really bad time but…yeah, actually it’s not a good time.” Wonder Woman sighs. “It’s fine. Let’s not in front of all this damage, though.” They walk to the sidewalk in front of a diner. Steve snaps a photo as the girl throws her arms around Wonder Woman and thanks her for saving her life, twice. “What was it you did to that man, anyway,” she asks. Wonder Woman smiles. “Magic,” she replies. The girl looks at her, slightly awestruck. “Oh, she says, turning back to Steve. I took some pictures of the whole thing, and some videos. Where can I send them?” Steve e-mails the pictures to a public address used for SHIELD informants and hands her back her phone. She stares at him for a second or two longer than necessary, and blushes again. “It’s a good thing your wife’s not here. I mean, that she’s safe and stuff. She’s really pretty.” Steve smiles. “That she certainly is. I’ll tell her you said so.” Nancy looks down at her feet. “She’s really lucky, too,” she says quietly, and then, clearly embarrassed, takes off.

They stay a few moments longer, and then, with Diana in her civilian identity again, they make their way back home. “What did you do to what man, anyway,” Steve asks. She explains what happens. “I’ve been experimenting with Bruce when we meditate,” she tells him. “Apparently, if I touch someone’s skin and focus very hard, I can actually activate their parasympathetic nervous system. Bruce has been measuring the effect on subjects’ brain waves, heart rates, and cortisol and adrenaline levels.” He stops in the middle of the sidewalk and stares at her, grinning.

“What?”

“You have no idea just how wonderful you are, do you?”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Aren’t you cold,” Steve asks, shutting Director Fury’s door behind him. Despite the unseasonably frigid December, Director Fury’s office window is wide open. “I’ve learned to live with it whenever Wonder Woman is here for any reason,” he replies. Steve sinks into a chair and sighs. “Do you want me to go after her, sir?” 

This is the third time in two weeks that Diana has caught sight of the woman she’s nicknamed “Eris,” and taken off. The woman has been at every riot in the DC/Metro area, in which Diana has intervened. From the street below, the two men hear the angry mob reach its full energetic potential. In a few seconds there will be police sirens. This is what the mysterious new threat does: creates discord. “We need to figure out this person’s end-game. What does she want? Who does she work for?” Fury had asked the Avengers last week. The best answer they have is that she seeks destruction and chaos for its own sake: the more people burned in the process, the better. Now there is gunfire and screaming. Steve runs to look out the window in time to see Wonder Woman deflect a flurry of ammunition from the crowd. She tackles the shooter to disarm him, and then looks to assist the injured until the police and paramedics arrive. Then she stalks away angrily. She has missed another opportunity to intercept a culprit whose very presence incites pandemonium.

A few seconds later, Wonder Woman flies back into Director Fury’s office and walks to the other side of the desk to stand by Steve. She seems to have recovered from her frustration. Steve figures she’s satisfied that no one was seriously hurt this time. “Hi,” she says breezily, and gives his hand a squeeze. She smiles and takes a seat. “What were you saying, Director?”

Fury stands up, closes the window, and leans over his desk. “What I was saying was you can’t keep flying off like a damned loose cannon every time you think something’s about to happen. We have police for that. Steve clears his throat. Fury knows he doesn’t like it when people curse in front of women—especially not his wife. This isn’t the time to bring it up, because he knows the argument is coming. Fury’s thrown the pitch right over the plate, and here comes Diana’s swing:

 

“If the police aren’t there, it’s my duty to help. What is the point of having powers and position if not to come to the aid of people?” The argument flies straight down center field. 

“It would be ALMOST acceptable if you would actually try to capture the wrongdoer.” Fury fields the argument and throws it to first.

“And leave without knowing whether someone has been hurt? What if I needed to fly someone to the hospital?” Diana easily sprints to second base.

“Then paramedics would have taken care of it. Not. Your. Job.” Steve wonders, not for the first time, why Director Fury keeps taking the bait.

“What is the point of saving the world if not for the people in it?” She goes to steal third.

“OUT!” Fury exclaims. “Uh, Sir? You actually had called us in here about the mob scene the other night…”

“BOTH OF YOU, GET OUT OF MY OFFICE NOW!” Sometimes rules just get in the way of a satisfying win—or of getting much accomplished at all, really.


End file.
